We all know rugby is played on grass and not on paper.
And South Africans will be thankful that is the case ahead of this season’s Super Rugby tournament.
With the teams having finalised their squads this past weekend, I noticed a general lack of star quality in all of the South African teams.
Starting at the Stormers, no longer do they have guys with the aura of Jean de Villiers, Duane Vermeulen and Schalk Burger.
Instead, the squad includes players such as Juarno Augustus, Jaco Coetzee, Ramon Samuels, etc.
I’ve got no doubt that these players are talented, but they are unknowns and might find themselves a bit star-struck when facing the likes of Sonny Bill Williams.
The Stormers, though, have one of the big names in South African rugby at the moment in Seabelo Senatla and he’s probably the Cape player that will bring the most excitement this year.
As we travel up the coast, I don’t see the Kings army gunning down big teams this year.
They’ve scraped the barrel for players.
Boasting the likes of Louis Schreuder, Waylon Murray and Berton Klaasen among their big names, coach Deon Davids’ team will again be the whipping boys of the south.
In Durban, meanwhile, the Sharks have some exciting rookies coming through the ranks.
We saw last year already what young fullback Curwin Bosch can do with ball in hand.
This will be a big season for the 19-year-old and with veteran Frenchman Clement Poitrenaud having joined the franchise, he should be able to give Bosch a few pointers that will make him even more gevaarlik.
The return to fitness of scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will also be a welcome one at the franchise and his halfback combination with Pat Lambie will be key if the Sharks want to make the playoffs.
Again, though, while they have some decent players up front, the absence of stars such as Marcell Coetzee, Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis (who left a while ago), have left them without any fear factor.
The Cheetahs, despite being Currie Cup champions, will always enter a season as underdogs.
It’s been years since they had any fear factor players in their squad.
And this year isn’t any different.
Coach Nollis Marais’ Bulls, though, is a different story.
You never really get a Bulls team without big names.
But with the golden era behind them – the years of Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez, Morne Steyn and Bryan Habana – they have been hard at work to create the next generation.
With a fit-again Handre Pollard running the show at flyhalf, Bulls fans will be hoping to finally see the best of centre Jan Serfontein and the dangerous back three of Warrick Gelant, Travis Ismael and Jamba Ulengo.
Up front, RG Snyman is a player that is on the up, while Roelof Smit already proved his Bok quality last season and will look to be the best fetcher in the country again this year.
Yes, the big names are gone.
But this is a year of building in South African rugby, so while there are fewer stars on display, it’s a time for new ones to shine.
The results might not go the way of the SA teams, but some of these youngsters might be household names at the end of the season.